2000
#2,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.96
Uncommon Last name
Sherrill
Derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "clear wood" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,559 Americans carry the last name Sherrill. That puts it at #2,764 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sherrill surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,542
Census rank
#2,764
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,696 bearers of the surname Sherrill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2764th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sherrill
The surname Sherrill is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scir," meaning bright or shining, combined with the word "hyll," meaning hill. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived on a bright or shining hill.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Sherrill can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Shirrevel." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire from 1285, where it is spelled "Shyrevill."
One of the earliest known bearers of the Sherrill name was John Shyrevill, a landowner in Oxfordshire who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he owned property in the village of Shyrevill, now known as Shirvall, which likely contributed to the family's surname.
In the 14th century, the name Sherrill appeared in various forms, including "Shirrevel," "Shyrevill," and "Shyrrevyle." These spellings can be found in various historical documents, such as the Court Rolls of Wiltshire and the Feet of Fines for Essex.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Sherrill was well-established in parts of southern England, particularly in counties like Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire. Notable individuals from this period include:
1. William Sherrill (1560-1635), a prominent merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire.
2. John Sherrill (1620-1692), a Puritan clergyman and author who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony.
As the name spread across England, variations in spelling continued to emerge, including "Sherrell," "Sherrell," and "Sherill." These spellings can be found in parish records and census listings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Individuals of note from this era include:
1. Thomas Sherrill (1725-1798), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
2. Mary Sherrill (1770-1849), an English novelist and poet known for her works on social and moral issues.
3. James Sherrill (1810-1885), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from North Carolina.
Throughout its history, the surname Sherrill has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, clergymen, military officers, authors, and politicians. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sherrill
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sherrill bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sherrill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 10,143
- Black or African American11.2% · 1,424
- Two or more races4.7% · 600
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 364
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sherrill
Sherrill appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,631
+242 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#2,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,696
-935 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,470 | 13,389 | 4.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,640 | 13,631 | 4.62 | +242 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #2,764 | 12,696 | 4.25 | -935 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 124 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sherrill surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,640 | #2,764 | -4.7% |
| Count | 13,631 | 12,696 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.62 | 4.25 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sherrill bearers went from 13,631 to 12,696 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,640 to #2,764.
FAQ
Sherrill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sherrill?
Name Census estimates that about 14,559 living Americans carry the surname Sherrill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,542 residents.
How common is Sherrill?
Sherrill ranks #2,764 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,696 people with the surname Sherrill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,559), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Sherrill.
Has Sherrill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sherrill went from 13,631 recorded bearers to 12,696. That is a decrease of 935 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,640 to #2,764.
What does the Census say about the background of Sherrill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sherrill, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sherrill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (10,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sherrill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (11.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sherrill (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sherrill mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "clear wood" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sherrill (4.25 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Sherrill?
Want to know how common the surname Sherrill is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.